Symphony of Quiet Stars Protects the Fire that Cannot be Extinguished

Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1977, Aunia Kahn is a multidisciplinary curator, gallerist, and visual artist working primarily in gouache, acrylic, oil pastel, and colored pencil. She creates vibrant compositions that blend personal narrative with diverse cultural influences.

Her art began as survival—a therapeutic response to a difficult upbringing and ongoing health challenges that evolved into a dedicated studio practice and career. This foundational relationship between art-making and personal transformation continues to inform her work today.

She draws inspiration from her French Canadian heritage, German and Polish folk art, iconography, Pre-Raphaelite and surreal artists, and the natural world. Her work is considered Contemporary Symbolist Folk Art and features symbolic storytelling through layered imagery, rich color palettes, and architectural forms, balancing the mystical with the domestic to create narrative depth around themes of sanctuary and transformation.

Her artwork has been exhibited in over 300 exhibitions across 10 countries, including San Diego Art Institute, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, iMOCA, St. Louis Art Museum, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Mitchell Museum, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

She has curated numerous national and international exhibitions and book projects and has been featured in publications like Yahoo, Prevention Magazine, and Authority Magazine. She has also lectured at colleges and universities at places like Washington University School of Medicine, and at other institutions like Scott Air Force Base and New Jersey Visual Arts.